Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-09-22

the redemption Of United States notes.
only give you these figures not to complain
of the administration in this respect, but to
show how unjust and groundless were the
reasons given for the change Of administrR-
ton. The best | can say Of this admins
tration is that, in its financial policy, in
dealing with your public debt and the pub
lie creditors, it has followed the example Of
its Republican predecessors, with this diff
ference, that it has increased the balances
of money on hand and increased lts deposits
in National banks 1t has excluded as not
available, from the amount OF money on
hand, the whole mass of fractional silver
coin held in the treasury, amounting to over
81, ,00O, 000 In the canvass our opponents
charged the Republican party with being
the party of the bondholders, the specu-
lBtors, the gold gamblers, and excited the
prejudice of the ignorant by such base ap-
peals, and now it follows in our footsteps
and increases the balances on hand. What
a commentary on the folly Of the change!
Again, this party tickled the reformers
and mugwumps with promise Of civil SER
vice reform, and Mr.. Cleveland was especi-
ally copious IN his promises that no one
should be discharged for his politics. The
Republican party, with some divisions, had
supported, built up and maintained an ex-
cellent civil service, and, in the main had
practiced upon the rule that changes should
not be made except for cause. Gen. Grant
had strongly urged this policy aud recon-
mended its application to all the great Off
ces of the government Congress was not
30 friendly, perhaps, because members of
congress had large influence in making ap-
pointments, out a civil service law was
passed during Republican administration
and some progress was made in what 1 re-
gard as an important reform What has
been the result under the administration?
Our Democratic friends thought that Mr..
Cleveland was slow in making removals,
but he has been rapid enough to sRbstanti-
ally change the whole civil service of the
government. Nearly every Office in the for
eign service, substantially the whole official
corps in the vast departments Of the inte-
, rior, the treasury and postofice, and, in the
main, the clerks and employees in the vari-
GUS departments have been changed during
this administration. l do not hesitate to
say that the service of the government has
been greatly injured thereby.
at was said the other day by Mr.. Powell
in his speech at Hamilton:
"'Until the Republican party came into
power not one acre Of the public lands had
ever been granted to railroads or other cor
porations.'
Nov this is great surprise to me, for I
have been long in congress, entering in 1855,
and l have always understood that the poll
icy of granting lands to railroads or to
states for railroads was started in 1851 by
buo 6I6nO VI uulAuSuSo 6uQ very shludDlo
tracts of land in Illinois by the Democratic
party, led by Mr.. Douglass, and that at every
congress aftefward and prior to Lincoln's
election, under Democratic rule and with
the approval Of Democratic president,
large grants of public lands have been re-
peatedly made to aid in building railroads,
and this, tCo, when and after two Demo-
cratic presidents had vetoed the grant of
public lands to settlers for homesteads
There was no division on party lines as to
the railroad grants, but it was deemed good
policy to grant alternate sections of lands to
the states when the land was in a state and
to corporations when the land was In terri
tories to secure the construction of railroads
through vast unsettled regions, and / be-
ieve, on the whole, though in some cases
the grants were improvident, the policy was
wise one. The government lost nothing
as the reserved lands were doubled in price.
But l will not proceed further. The i'm
mediate question is whether you will renew
and ratify the brilliant administration Of
Governor Foraker and support him with a
Republican legislature / feel that it il
hardly necessary to appeal to the good peo-
pie OF Clinton county for an overwhelming
vote in favor of a man so well known and
highly respected among you, and whose
associates on the state ticket ara among the
most worthy and deserving Republicans of
Ohio. l call your attention to the special
importance Of the election of your candi-
dates for senator and member Of the house
1t is of vital Importance to secure a Repub-
hcan legislature to secure and complete the
good work of the last Our success this fall
by good majority will be cheering pre-
paration for grand campaign of the next
year. when we will have an opportunity
again to test the question whether the Re-
publican party, which conducted several
admin ;strations in the most trying period Of
American history with signal success, shall
be restored to power to renew the broad
( Nation al policy by which it preserved the
1 union abolished slavery and advanced the
republic in strength, wealth, credit and
varied industries to the foremost place
amorg the nations Of the world"